A 1985 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 once owned by Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna could fetch £250,000 when it crosses the block at RM Sotheby’s London auction on 1 November, 2025.
The triple World Champion was the Mercedes’ first custodian, having taken delivery in October 1985. He is believed to have purchased the car after being impressed with the performance of a lightly modified 190E in the famous 1984 Race of Champions, where he battled to victory against 19 other top drivers of the era.
Senna’s rivals that day included the likes of Niki Lauda – who finished in second place – as well as Alain Prost, Sir Stirling Moss and Carlos Reutemann, who crossed the line in third.
RM Sotheby’s auction listing reports that Senna clocked 24,862 miles across his two years of ownership. The Mercedes served as his personal car during that period, which he collected from the marque’s Stuttgart factory before driving it home to Surrey with his friend and compatriot Maurício Gugelmin.
In 1987 the 190E passed into the ownership of Robin Clark, a friend of Senna’s manager Julian Jakobi. The sale is thought to have coincided with Senna’s move from Lotus to McLaren for the 1988 season, when he relocated from Surrey to Monaco.
The current owner acquired the 190E in 1996 and later assigned the private registration ‘B15 ENA’ an a nod to its Senna provenance. The registration remains on retention and may be purchased separately by the winning bidder.
The car was exported to Australia when the consignor emigrated in 2004. In 2016, its engine bay was signed by the late Niki Lauda during the Australian Grand Prix, where he was present as non-executive chairman of the Mercedes F1 team.
RM Sotheby’s is auctioning the ex-Senna machine with 154,302 miles on the clock. The vehicle is accompanied by its original documentation, Becker Mexico stereo, tool kit, fire extinguisher, trickle charger and unopened first-aid kit.
Should the car’s high estimate be achieved, the £250,000 figure would equate to roughly ten times Hagerty US’s top valuation of $29,600 for a like-for-like 1985 model.
View the listing here.
